Pope Francis called on the Philippine government on Friday to tackle corruption and hear the cries of the poor suffering from "scandalous social inequalities" in the Asian nation.
The pope, who arrived on Thursday night, went to the Malacanang presidential palace on Friday for an official welcoming ceremony led by President Benigno Aquino as tens of thousands of ecstatic Filipinos lined the streets.
"It is now, more than ever, necessary that political leaders be outstanding for honesty, integrity and commitment to the common good," Francis said.
Francis was driven to the palace from his residence at the Vatican embassy in a small blue Volkswagen Touran, in keeping with his simple, no-frills style. Enthusiastic crowds had started gathering four hours before he arrived.
The Philippines has laid on the largest security operation in its history, with about 50,000 police and soldiers on hand. His car was flanked by police vehicles, which sometimes made it difficult for people to see him.
Francis was saluted by presidential guards at the Spanish colonial palace and greeted by hundreds of people waving Vatican and Philippine flags. Children rushed up to embrace him as he walked along a red carpet on the palace grounds.
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The Pope urged government officials "to reject every form of corruption, which diverts resources from the poor, and to make concerted efforts to ensure the inclusion of every man and woman and child".
"The great Biblical tradition enjoins on all peoples the duty to hear the voice of the poor," he Filipino leaders.
"It bids us break the bonds of injustice and oppression, which give rise to glaring, and indeed scandalous, social inequalities. Reforming the social structures which perpetuate poverty and the exclusion of the poor first requires a conversion of mind and heart," he said.
